Drudkh – Blood in Our Wells
Supernal Music – FERLY037 – May 1st, 2006
By Jason Jordan
Ever since 2003,
Drudkh has churned out at least one album per year – no easy feat in and of itself – and each of those have been remarkably solid. The Ukrainian black/folk metal band featuring former members of
Hate Forest have returned with 2006’s entry
Blood in Our Wells, which follows its predecessor
The Swan Road (2005) nicely and separates them further from earlier works such as
Autumn Aurora (2004) and
Forgotten Legends (2003). Like all prior material, however,
Drudkh can be relied upon to produce metal of the highest caliber. Consequently,
BiOW will appear on my year-end list because it’s an all-around excellent record, and one of the year’s finest efforts in any genre.
Their fourth full-length begins with “Nav’,” though the real meat lurks behind the introduction in the form of “Furrows of Gods” – perhaps my favorite
Drudkh track of all time. The subtle, ambient keyboards will bring past endeavors to mind (i.e.
FL &
AA), yet the folk-rich sections (7:05 and on) and sorrowful leads and melodies (2:45; 4:35) set apart
BiOW from the rest of their oeuvre, in addition to more intricate drumwork, which avoids heavy repetition. “When the Flame Turns to Ashes” has very similar attributes, but is also somehow incredibly different from the other compositions.
Drudkh, as usual, gush with melancholy. “Solitude” and “Eternity” both up the pace and, perhaps as a result, seem more driven and determined than their peers. The three above-mentioned tracks are the lengthiest that
Blood in Our Wells has to offer, clocking in respectively at 10:37, 12:23, and 10:38. Closer “Ukrainian Insurgent Army,” despite completely jettisoning vocals, is a beast that resembles the others stylistically.
If there’s anything to learn from
Blood in Our Wells, it’s that
Drudkh are only improving. While they’ve been consistently great in the past, their latest comes across as inspired and fresh – easily one of the best black metal albums of this year, alongside
Nachtmystium’s
Instinct: Decay,
Negura Bunget’s
OM,
Summoning’s
Oath Bound,
Wolves in the Throne Room’s
Diadem of 12 Stars, and
Xasthur’s
Subliminal Genocide. Similar to the rest of their catalog, this one is utterly necessary. Staying true to prolific tendencies, their instrumental, acoustic record –
Songs of Grief and Solitude – will see the light of day in 2006, too, but methinks it just won’t be the same without the BM elements. Will it be the band’s first disappointing release?
9/10
UM’s Review Rating Scale
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